Galaxy Mergers with Adaptive Mesh Refinement: Star Formation and Hot Gas Outflow
In hierarchical structure formation, galaxy mergers are frequent and known to affect
galaxy properties dramatically. Because of the non-linear coupling between pc and
Mpc scales, high-resolution simulations are indispensable to comprehend galactic
interactions. To this end, I present the first of its kind adaptive mesh refinement
(AMR) simulations of two merging, low mass, initially gas-rich galaxies, including
star formation and feedback. With galaxies resolved by ~2e7 total computational
elements, we achieved unprecedented resolution of the multiphase interstellar medium,
finding that a widespread starburst occurs in the merging galaxies. Using the high
dynamic range of AMR we also follow the interplay between the galaxies and the
embedding medium depicting how galactic outflows and a hot metal-rich halo form.
These results demonstrate that AMR provides a powerful tool in understanding
interacting galaxies.